A South Australian couple's dramatic encounter with a high-speed object on a rural highway, which they suspected was a meteorite striking their brand new self-driving car, has been conclusively ruled out by scientific analysis.
The Violent Impact on the Augusta Highway
Andrew and Jo Melville-Smith were driving their newly acquired Tesla home to Whyalla on the evening of October 19 when their journey turned terrifying. At approximately 9pm, near Port Germein on the Augusta Highway, a sudden, violent impact shattered their windscreen, filling the cabin with smoke and glass fragments.
"It was extremely violent ... I thought we'd crashed," Andrew Melville-Smith recounted. The shock of the event left him feeling disoriented. He credited the car's autonomous driving features for preventing a potential accident, stating, "If I'd been driving, we would have gone off the road." Remarkably, despite the severe damage, the vehicle continued to operate.
From Meteorite Theory to Museum Investigation
Puzzled by the force and apparent heat of the impact, Andrew contacted the South Australian Museum, the state's leading authority on such matters. Initial observations by the Museum's Minerals and Meteorites Collection Manager, Dr Kieran Meaney, were skeptical. "Most of the time they turn out to be a rock from earth," Meaney said of public meteorite reports.
However, details like apparent melting and discolouration of the windscreen's acrylic layers warranted a closer look. "It was certainly hit by something and it was something hot, and we don't have another good explanation for what else it could have been," Meaney noted during the initial assessment.
Scientific Analysis Delivers a Verdict
A thorough forensic examination of the damaged windscreen has now delivered definitive findings. The museum's research scientists determined that the discolouration was not caused by heat damage and no high-temperature deformation of the glass was preserved.
"The meteorite hypothesis was investigated because there was no clear earthly source of the debris," Dr Meaney explained in a statement. The analysis concluded there is no evidence of a meteorite impact.
The investigation revealed the object was roughly 2cm in diameter, based on the glass's shatter pattern, but no fragments were recovered. Furthermore, the Australian Space Agency confirmed it did not detect any objects entering the atmosphere at the time of the incident.
An Unsolved Terrestrial Mystery
With the exciting extraterrestrial possibility eliminated, the museum has ceased its investigation. The identity of the high-speed object remains an unsolved puzzle. "The available evidence does not point towards an extraterrestrial source," Dr Meaney stated. "The South Australian Museum is confident that the damage was not caused by a meteorite."
The case highlights the challenges of identifying unusual impact events, leaving the Melville-Smiths with a lasting story of a mysterious encounter on a dark Outback highway.
